Miami's Viceroy Uses Celebrity Chefs to Sell Condo Units

The Food Network has catapulted chef celebrity to new heights. So much so, it seems, that they are delving into other realms. Take rocker-chef Guy Fieri who now hosts a show on network television that has nothing to do with food.

Miami condo developers are taking this a step further. The folks at the upscale Viceroy residences at 465 Brickell Ave. are using the popularity of their award-winning Eos Restaurant and its chef Donatella Arpaia's book-signing as an opportunity to show off available units to potential buyers.

Arpaia comes to Miami on April 20 to autograph her latest book "Donatella Cooks: Simple Food Made Glamorous" as well as provide cooking demos and wine pairings in, get this, three new luxury condos in the building.

The private, by-invitation-only event is one way to corner the upscale-buyers market. That, and the chance to be neighbors with J.Lo and Marc Anthony, sounds pretty enticing.

The residences also double as a hotel, and Eos is open to the public. The place is regularly hopping with Miami's burgeoning Brickell/Downtown Miami party-crowd. Touted as the (oddly wordy) Viceroy Hotels Resorts Residences, the building was created by one of Miami's best-known developers, Jorge Perez, and his team at the Related Group. They are responsible for a large part of the explosion of high-rises in Downtown Miami. And with the economy seeming on the upswing the event seems like a unique way to provide entertainment while exposing an interested crowd to all that the place has to offer.

The Viceroy is at the foot of Brickell Avenue next to the bridge that leads to Downtown Miami. The three towers (buildings 1 and 2 are strictly condos and 3 is a blend of hotel and residences) provide an enviable view of Miami's best asset -- Biscayne Bay -- and then some.

Other strong selling points, an infinity pool; the "Club 50" rooftop bar and lounge where an Olympic-sized swimming pool is the centerpiece; and a 28,000-square-foot spa and fitness center.